Monthly Archives: February 2017

Note: This post was originally written and published on Oct. 10, 2007, at the now-defunct Sports Goulash site for the Casper Star-Tribune and trib.com.

Friday’s game between Natrona County and Sheridan is the renewal of a rivalry that dates back nearly a century. And for a time, the two teams battled not only for a victory, but for the “Queen Marie Trophy.”

What was it? Well, here is this excerpt from the Nov. 11, 1943 Casper Tribune-Herald (an old cousin of the current Casper Star-Tribune):

“Several years ago when the local citizens were looking around for some trophy as a stake for the annual Armistice Day games the late Queen Marie of Rumania happened to be passing through the city. She was asked to autograph a football which she graciously did and since that time the autographed pigskin has been the highly prized award of the winner of the annual Armistice Day football game between Casper and Sheridan.

“The somewhat faded pigskin is carried back and forth between the two cities as a token of their victories. It is believed to be the only such trophy in the state where two teams annually battle for the possession, and it has become a tradition.

“The honored pigskin has changed hands often. The football games played between the Broncs and the Mustangs are the fiercest fought games of the season.”

Then there’s this, from a preview of the 1944 Casper-Sheridan game in the Star-Herald:

“The team which won three years in successions was to have permanent possession. Casper won permanent possession but later put the trophy up again and they are still playing for the football.”

The question now becomes: Where is this football now? Is it in the trophy case at either NCHS or Sheridan? Is it on a dusty mantlepiece in someone’s home, or tucked away in a forgotten box in an attic? Or was the football overlooked and carelessly thrown away several decades ago?

Personally, I have no idea. Google “Queen Marie Trophy” and nothing comes up. If I’m not mistaken, if you look in the trophy cases at both Natrona County and Sheridan, you’ll have similar success.

If the football can be found between now and Friday, and put on display during the contest, I’m sure both schools would be more than happy to renew this tradition.

Thanks to Jim Craig’s continued help in the archives, I was able to make these updates:

Added St. Mary’s 42-0 victory against Burns in Burns on Sept. 17, 1943.

Noted that Sundance’s 15-0 victory against Wright on Sept. 13, 1991, was later forfeited to Wright. This forfeit explains why Upton, Sundance and Wright had to have a triangular playoff at the end of the 1991 season. This also changed Wright’s longest losing streak.

Added Reliance’s 7-6 victory against the Green River JV on Oct. 26, 1938, in Green River.

Added Sunrise’s 32-26 victory against Manville on Oct. 14, 1949, in Lance Creek. This game result was originally listed for a game played on Oct. 5. An Oct. 5 game was also played, and Sunrise won that game, but a score for that game has yet to be pinned down (added to the missing games list due to that).

Added the location and date for Wind River’s 33-19 victory against Burlington on Oct. 23, 1990, in Burlington.

Added the location of Mountain View’s 19-12 loss to the Jackson JV on Sept. 11, 1981 — it was in Jackson.

Added the location of Meeteetse’s 36-6 loss to the Cody JV on Oct. 8, 1995; it was in Meeteetse.

Added numerous updates to the track and field champions listings. Times/marks and first and last names have been nailed down for every champion except for one… and we’re working on finding that one as we speak!

I also updated the 1990 2A all-state team to put Bill Holthues on the right team. He played for Thermopolis, not Big Piney. Thanks to Heath Hayes for catching that!

Big Horn moves from Class 2A to Class 1A 11-man in 2017 — and that should make everyone in Class 1A 11-man more than a little scared.

The Rams were state champs at the 2A level last season despite being the smallest school in the classification. Next year, with Thunder Basin coming into 4A and causing a cascade of class changes, the Rams will move into 1A 11-man.

If Big Horn wins a title in 2017 after changing classifications, they’ll be just the seventh team — and the second program — to do so. The Rams would join Cokeville and Southeast as the only programs to have won back-to-back state titles despite switching classifications from one year to the next.

In all, 11 teams in state history have moved classifications after winning a state title; Big Horn will make the 12th. Yet only the Panthers and Cyclones won a state title the next year.

Cokeville has pulled off the feat three times, winning the 1988 1A title and the 1989 2A title; the 1989 2A title and the 1990 1A 11-man title; and the 1994 1A 11-man title and the 1995 1A Division II title. Two of those came near the 1989 season, when Cokeville opted up to 2A after 1A became a nine-man-only division for that season, prior to the state’s move from four to five classifications in 1990.

Southeast, meanwhile, has done this three times, too: The Cyclones won the 2000 1A Division II title and the 2001 2A title, the 2006 2A and the 2007 1A title, and the 2008 1A and the 2009 1A 11-man title.

In those six cases, three championships came when moving up a class and three titles came when moving down, like Big Horn will do next year.

In addition to the Cokeville and Southeast changes noted, six other teams tried, and failed, to repeat as state champion despite changing classifications after a title-winning season. Five of those six teams moved up in classification after winning a title. Teams that failed to repeat after changing include Burlington in 1995 (1A nine-man to 1A Division II); Cowley in 1956 (B six-man to B 11-man); Green River in 1977 (A to AA); Lingle in 1991 (1A nine-man to 1A 11-man); Tongue River in 1957 (B six-man to B eight-man); and Worland in 1960 (A to AA).

(Note: Changes in name classification alone are not considered here; for example, Big Piney won the 2000 2A title and the 2001 3A title, but that was a case of a classification renaming than a classification change. Additionally, champions from shift years 1982 and 1989, where the state went from three to four and four to five classifications, respectively, are not noted here unless the team actually moved in classification in more than just name, as Cokeville did in 1989 to 1990.)